GO VISIT: Last week to cash in on Museum Month

If you've been wanting to visit a local museum, you've got just four days left to take advantage of Museum Month discounts.

Continuing through Wednesday, Museum Month offers half-price admission to more than 40 local museums and historical sites. The 23rd annual promotion drew 30,000 ticket-buyers last year from as far away as Arizona, organizers said.

Coordinated by the San Diego Museum Council, the promotion requires museumgoers to first pick up a "passport" at any of the 14 Macy's department stores in San Diego and Imperial counties and Temecula, and present that at the museum box office when buying tickets. The pass entitles the bearer to buy up to four half-price general admission tickets.

The promotion is a boon to local museums during a traditionally slow time of year for visitorship. Yet while turnstiles are slow, lots of high-profile exhibitions are now open at local museums:

The La Jolla branch of the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, is showing a retrospective exhibit of prints by John Baldessari. The 80-year-old artist was born in National City, educated at San Diego State and now lives in Santa Monica. While at the museum's main gallery in downtown San Diego, "Ten Thousand Waves," an exhibit by photographer/video installation artist Isaac Julien, opened Saturday.

The San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park has two new exhibits: "Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Caves of Xiangtangshan" and "Dyeing Elegance: Asian Modernism and the Art of Kuboku and Hisako Takaku."

The Museum of Photographic Art in Balboa Park is showing "Unusual Suspects," an exhibit of paintings and photos by Holly Roberts.

Oceanside Museum of Art has just opened "Ghost Fleet," an exhibit of miniature models of famous ships by artist John Taylor.

The San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park has a new exhibit of Woodies automobiles on display.

The San Diego Chinese Historical Museum in downtown San Diego is celebrating the Year of the Dragon this month with an exhibit of Chinese folk art.

The San Diego Natural History Museum has just opened "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition," featuring 200 items recovered from the 100-year-old ocean liner's wreckage. Although the Titanic exhibit is not included with half-price admission, Museum Month passholders can purchase "Titanic" tickets for $19.50 (compared to $27 for non-passholders).

Visit www.sandiegomuseumcouncil.org .

IF YOU GO:

Museum Month offers half-price admission to local museums and historical sites through Wednesday. To participate, pick up a passport at local Macy's stores. For details, visit sandiegomuseumcouncil.org.